Claire passed away in April this year at the age of 46, after a recurrence diagnosis in 2025. Her daughter Darcie is sharing their experience to raise awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and honour her mum who never had the chance.
My mum Claire was a resilient, kind and healthy woman who seemed to get along with everyone. She was strikingly unique in both humour and personality, and always generous with her time. The best mum really.
Trying to get answers before a lifechanging diagnosis
In late 2023, mum started to feel bloated and uncomfortable. Never one for being ill, she initially put it down to overeating at Christmas, but it soon escalated to the point that she was in acute discomfort and became increasingly anxious about it.
Mum visited her GP twice in the January. She had developed some respiratory symptoms and was very breathless. On both occasions she was prescribed antibiotics due to a supposed chest infection. I don’t believe the bloating was ever recognised or considered as a relevant symptom.
Towards the end of the month, mum just needed some answers and went to A&E at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth. That was when doctors told her that her stomach was tight and distended and advised it would be best to go to Queen Alexandra Hospital for a scan and further blood tests.
After a CT scan, mum was told that there was reason to suspect ovarian cancer and malignant ascites – an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen caused by cancer. She was given the news on her own as none of us had gone to A&E with her, it was a lot to process.
In February 2024, mum’s diagnosis was confirmed as stage 4 ovarian cancer.
Chemotherapy and debulking surgery
We were all heartbroken at the news, understandably, but mum was determined to get through it and almost excited to get started with treatment. Taking everything the doctors said on board in the hope that she would be someone it worked for – she was ready to fight.
Everything started quite smoothly and she coped well with the first sessions of chemotherapy. In June of that year, she was told that it had been effective enough and she was now ready for the debulking surgery. Again, her surgery was deemed a success and the team advised that they had removed all visible cancer. I remember it was actually mentioned how ‘normal’ her ovaries looked considering the stage of her diagnosis.
Two months after surgery, mum completed her final rounds of chemotherapy and was placed on a maintenance drug called Niraparib or Zejula. In November 2024, she was officially declared cancer free, which was a huge relief for all of us as a family. It felt like we could start planning for the future again.
Another year, another diagnosis
Although I don’t think mum’s energy ever came back fully, she did begin to enjoy life again. We would go shopping and eat out like we used to, while mum was still going to regular appointments for scans which remained clear.
Then in October 2025, everything changed, again.
Mum experienced what we now know to be a focal motor seizure, which was horrendous for both her and for the family to witness. These came on rapidly and ultimately ended with her being taken back to Queen Alexandra Hospital via ambulance. That night she was told that there were suspicious lesions on her brain. It was suspected to be a secondary cancer that had metastasised to her brain.
Palliative radiotherapy was offered in efforts to shrink and stabilise it, which mum accepted in an effort to lengthen her life. Unfortunately it was not effective, and mum gradually began to lose the ability to move around easily and enjoy the things she loved to do. It was the start of her becoming bed bound.
Then in March 2026, mum was diagnosed with a recurrence of ovarian cancer in the peritoneal cavity. She also started having bad headaches again and went back to the hospital on the advice of her CNS. This is where she remained until she sadly passed away on Monday 27 April.
Claire leaves behind a devoted family who loved her dearly including her mum Shirley (79), her two children Darcie (24) and Harvey (20) and her partner of 25+ years, Simon.
Finding Target Ovarian Cancer and fulfilling mum’s wish
A week before mum went into hospital for the final time, we held a coffee morning to raise money for Target Ovarian Cancer. It was a wonderful day, raising over £800, and the mayor of Gosport attended to read a letter which my mum had written.
Mum loved writing and sharing her thoughts and experiences in this way. I know that she wanted to share her bravery and everything she went through with others, and I wanted to make sure that happened for her.
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